Blue Smile is a Cambridgeshire children’s charity that provides counselling and therapy for pupils in schools between the ages of 3 and 13 during a critical window of opportunity for change. There is a growing mental health problem among our children and young people and this kind of targeted early intervention can help prevent later mental illness and associated anti-social and offending behaviours. Without it, a vulnerable and disadvantaged child can grow up to become a distressed and dangerous person in our local community. The repercussions of inadequate support are enormous: school failure, anti-social behaviour, mental illness and a legacy of dysfunction, all of which puts huge pressure on schools, social services and the youth justice system. We provide the kind of specialist support in schools which gives a vulnerable child the expert and consistent care they need. We call on highly trained paid and voluntary professionals to do this work and use school premises free of charge, so it is both a highly skilled and cost-effective intervention. £1 spent on therapeutic support now can literally save £100s later on by avoiding the costs of mental health facilities or youth offending institutes. Most importantly, these children deserve such professional care and support so they are helped to fulfil their true potential and to turn their lives around.